Colorado Springs News, Sports & Business

Spartans continue mastery of Rams

No matter the rosters or coaches, Doherty, for whatever reason, has had Rampart's number over the years.
It continued Friday in dominating fashion.
Shane Fox scored 11 of his 19 points in the second half, and Tynan Velasquez added 17 points and seven steals, as Doherty led wire to wire in a...

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Shane Fox scored 11 of his 19 points in the second half, and Tynan Velasquez added 17 points and seven steals, as Doherty led wire to wire in a 66-49 road victory.

Senior big man Jason Anderson also added 16 points and three blocks as the Spartans (9-6 overall, 2-0 5A Colorado Springs Metro League) beat its neighbor to the north for the 15th time in the past 18 games dating back to the 2006-07 season.

"We always get up for Rampart because it's become such a big rivalry over the years," Fox said. "We want to be at the top of the league, and a lot of people said they were better than us. We wanted to prove that we're on top of our game, and we came together for this one and proved it."

The Pikes Peak region 5A No. 1 Rams (12-3, 1-1), which entered the game on a four-game winning streak, struggled to its lowest offensive output of the season.

After a 7-0 run brought Rampart to within 49-41 entering the fourth quarter, the Rams went cold, scoring only eight points and making just two of 14 shots in the final eight minutes.

"The switch to a 2-3 zone was a great decision by them, and it really slowed us down," Rampart coach Patrick Simpson said. "We had a hard time getting on the glass, and I was impressed with their rebounding. I knew Doherty was going to be ready, and I have so much respect for the way those guys play."

Velasquez hit a 3-pointer for the first points of the fourth quarter, immediately silencing the home crowd after it appeared Rampart had seized the momentum.

"Teams always go on runs, and we had to weather the storm," Fox said. "We're a young team, but a mature team. We proved that in this game."

Rampart sophomore Clayton Hacker scored nine of his team-high 14 points in the second quarter, as the Rams rallied to within 27-25 with 5:11 left before the teams went into the locker rooms for the break.

But Doherty responded by scoring 10 straight points, highlighted by Velasquez's 3-pointer from the right wing as the Spartans reclaimed the momentum, opening up a 37-28 lead at halftime.

"It's nice to come here and get a big win, especially against a team ranked the best in the city," Velasquez said. "We had lost a couple of close games on the road, but now we're playing as one unit. People say we're too young, but I think this was a big statement. We'll just have to go on from here and see how much we can improve."

Donovan Oldham also scored 14 points for Rampart, which fell to 5-2 at home as both teams were equally represented by raucous support from its student bodies.

"It's just a fun environment," Anderson said. "Everyone is loud and everyone is into it."